The Bathtub
by caesara
Summary: Severus's new apprentice Harry has a potions accident, and after the immediate chaos, all Harry needs to heal is a warm bath and his guardian's help. loving!Snape. childfic. oneshot.


It was an odd sight. One would not expect to see the usually dour Potions Master so gently helping his ward out of his clothes and guiding him into the recently drawn steaming bath. It was definitely peculiar, but lately the professor had done nothing but shock his fellow faculty and the students of Hogwarts.

When it was discovered by a select few of the Order that Harry Potter was being abused at the hands of his bulbous uncle, no one had thought that Severus Snape of all people would be the first to step in and offer his home to the hurting youth. Yes, that was quite a shock. Then, after only a few months of Harry living with Snape, the man had announced at the beginning of term that Harry was to be his apprentice.

As Harry's master, he learned that the boy did not work well under a scrutinizing stare and that he required positive reinforcement and words of praise to work, and so Severus Snape changed his demeanor because he would _not_ be known to have mastered a mediocre apprentice. The task had already been accepted, and Severus, therefore, would do everything in his power to make Harry the best potioneer in the century, excluding himself. It was either accept defeat or change his ways.

Severus Snape never accepted defeat.

"Easy, now Harry," Severus muttered as he held on securely to the boy's torso so Harry could step into the tub.

The boy hissed quietly as he was slowly lowered to sit on the soft cushion at the bottom that Snape had conjured. His shorts clung to his body as he submerged the lower half of his red body and sat reluctantly. Immediately, Harry began to move as if to grab his knees in comfort. Snape had already mildly rebuked him for doing so, but it was all Harry's body wanted to do, because it slightly subdued the fiery aching of his skin.

"No, no hunching. Straighten out. It will only hurt you worse in the long-run," Severus said and gently pushed his arms away from his stomach.

Harry groaned as Severus pushed his legs straight as tenderly as he could manage.

"Your chicken legs astound me. I was under the impression that we were beginning to put some meat on those bones," Snape commented, only half joking. Harry's physical state was always a worry to him. He was too thin, still undernourished, and was overall too small for a child of 10.

"Huh, huh," Harry responded. It was the best laugh that he could get out.

Severus began to prod at the lymph nodes under his ward's jaw. Not finding anything to unsettling about the state of his glands, he _accioed_ a jar of muscle relaxing bath beads and sprinkled some in the water, watching Harry closely for any added discomfort. The boy merely looked dazed, achy, and, miserable.

Severus saw a minute jerk in Harry's legs before the boy accused him with the word, "Tickles," with a frown.

"It's only your muscles loosening up a bit. Does your skin still feel like sunburn?" He asked and inspected his back for a rash. The boy's back had received the worst of the explosion, because he had barely been quick enough to turn from the cauldron when he noticed the dangerous deepening of the color.

 _I should have been watching him more closely. It was only the second time he's made that draught, and I just had to step out of the room to answer the floo. Ridiculous on my part._ Severus thought for the hundredth time.

"Yeah and I itch kind of. Can't you put some of that burn cream on it to cool it?" Harry asked, sloshing the water a bit with his hands.

"Unfortunately, no. This is a chemical burn from the reaction of the violet roots and the frog hearts. We can't put anything with menthol on you until you are thoroughly washed," Severus said.

He rolled up the sleeves of his black button-up and grabbed a soft washcloth from the edge of the tub and lathered it with soap. He hesitated, as if he wanted to warn the boy but didn't know how.

"This is going to hurt," Harry said quietly, looking Severus in the eye. It was not a question.

Severus made no reply. Agreeing would only throw the child into a tizzy, and it seemed impossible sometimes to calm him down after he had worked himself up.

Harry almost cried out when Severus placed the wash cloth on his neck and began rubbing it around his shoulders. His breath became shallow and big crocodile tears welled up in his Lily green eyes.

"Breathe, Harry," Severus said in the softest voice he could manage. He washed the boy's shoulders and studied the boy's face, as he felt Harry's panic rising.

"Talk about something else to distract yourself. I suppose I can listen to your mindless chatter for a while," the man said, worry evident in his creased brow and concerned eyes.

He hated the fact that he was causing the boy pain, as if he hadn't been through enough already in his young life, thanks to Vernon Dursley and his lot.

"I don't know what to talk about," Harry whined as he tensed at Severus's touch on his arm.

"You're having trouble talking. Astounding," Severus remarked.

Harry could not laugh at the accusation as he sucked in a shuddering breath at the wash cloth working its way around his wrist.

"Say something Harry. Get your breath back," Severus said.

"Umm well I'm Harry James Potter, you know after my-ow- dad. I'm the apprentice of Severus Snape. I'm umm 10 years old. I'm umm gonna go to Hogwarts next year and hopefully be put in Slytherin. Really, anything but Hufflepuff is okay."

Severus smiled. He would have to agree with that sentiment.

"I really like potions and I'm glad I'm an apprentice- _ow_ \- and Severus is really nice. And ummm I guess I didn't wait for the violet roots to completely dissolve and that why I'm like this. And it really, really hurts, but not as bad as what Uncle Vernon used to do I guess because when he got really mad-"

"Harry, let's not talk about more painful things right now," Severus advised, glancing at the instrument on the side of the bathtub that was counting Harry's pulse.

Harry groaned again.

"Gah! I don't know. Unicorns. Quidditch. Sitting in on DADA classes. Oww. Oww stop. Stop. _stop_!"

He grabbed Severus's hand as it worked over his stomach.

They both froze like that- Harry's hand on top of Severus's on top of his stomach, his head leaning against the man's chest in a silent plea.

Harry began to cry freely. He clung to the professor's hand with all the force his pained body could muster.

"Oh child, it will be over soon. Just let me finish," Severus said, running his free hand over the boy's hair.

"I'm sorry I'm so bad at potions! I don't know why I try. I deserved to be hurt," Harry said, watching his tears and snot drip into the water.

"Harry," Severus said, feeling himself flash with the heat of anger. "What did I tell you about how you speak about yourself?"

The boy did not say anything.

"That sounds like something those monsters believed about you, Harry, and they were wrong. You are a brilliant wizard already, and you do not now nor will you ever deserve to be hurt," Severus said.

The boy shuddered as he struggled to control his tears. Severus placed a kiss on the boy's hair, careful not to jostle him in his attempts to comfort.

After a minute, Severus sighed. "I must finish Harry. I don't want anything more getting into your skin,"

Harry nodded with great effort as Severus guided him away from his chest.

"Try speaking of something Harry," he said. As he moved the cloth over Harry's lower back.

Harry listened to his own labored breathing for a few moments before saying, "Isaac!"

"Yes?" Severus prodded.

"Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau and remember there was something about one of them being hairy and then someone got the inheritance. Right?"

Severus almost stopped his movement in surprise. He had never heard Harry speak of Biblical characters before.

"Yes," Severus answered, and he went back to the boy's legs. "I believe that is the story."

"And I always felt bad for Moses, you know cause he went through all that trouble to go up in the mountains and fast for 40 days, but then he came down and all of the people were worshipping a golden cow. I can't imagine not eating for that many days. Maybe a few. That's all I've ever lasted when I'm at the Dursleys."

"Harry," Severus warned. "Move along." He did not miss how the boy spoke of them in present tense.

"Sorry, yeah, and I remember the ark too and all those animals. There was a song I heard once about that."

Harry continued recounting bits of the Bible that he remembered until Severus was done with the first scrub and began on the second, which was much less painful. Actually, the second time, Harry began to feel drowsy.

"I had a Bible in my cupboard that my teacher gave me once." Harry said so low Severus wasn't sure if he had mean to say it aloud.

"Are we almost done?" The boy asked, yawning a few moments later.

"Yes," Severus said.

He helped Harry to his feet and inspected the boy's skin as Harry tugged at his shorts with a blush. His skin was more pink than usual, but the washing appeared to have had done its job.

Severus questioned the boy some more as he dried Harry off. Was he experiencing any discomfort? Could he wiggle all of his toes and fingers? Did his limbs feel particularly light?

Harry answered the questions and stood for inspection for as long as he could before admitting that he felt so tired that he could not focus.

Severus noticed the boy's swaying, and before he could fall and injure himself further, Severus swooped him, towel and all, into his arms, and carried him across the hall to his bed.

Harry was almost asleep before he hit the pillow.

Severus breathed a sigh of relief that at least the boy could get some rest. He spelled Harry's shorts off and a new pair on along with pajama bottoms and socks. Picking up the burn cream, Severus began to work it into the boy's chest.

In the quiet, Severus realized that he was indeed still feeling the kick of his own panic that had been pounding at his chest since the cauldron had exploded.

 _Merlin, you've been through much worse things than a simple cauldron explosion. Why is you heart still hammering so?_

But he could not deny the sheer terror that had overcome him when he had heard the boy scream his name in such desperation. First it had been a frightened question.

"Snape?" He asked. As if to say: What's going on? Why don't you help me? WHERE ARE YOU?

Then he heard the explosion, the cauldron rattling, the liquid splattering, and Harry's wails of terror. "Snape! Snape!" he called on repeat as if he were on fire, and it most certainly had felt like he was.

Severus attempted to steady his hand as he slathered extra cream on the boy's neck. He wondered at how much better they would both feel in the morning. Perhaps then he would have his breath back.

As Severus finished and capped the cream, Harry stirred and opened his eyes.

"Are you leaving?" Harry asked, as soon as he spotted Severus.

The man crouched beside the bed and placed his hand on Harry's back.

"You said you wouldn't leave me," Harry said, and suddenly there were tears.

"I won't leave," Severus said, brushing at a few of Harry's tears. "Are you in pain?" he asked.

The boy shook his head.

"I'm scared," he admitted, rubbing at his eyes.

Severus ignored the ache that caused in his stomach. The first time the boy had said that today, Madam Pomfrey had been helping Severus spell the melted clothes off of Harry's body.

"All right, I'll stay here until you fall asleep and then-"

"You can stay in my bed!" Harry said, suddenly sitting up in bed.

Severus stood just as quickly, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

"Harry, really I-"

"Please! You promised. I'll make room! Cordell can make a bit more room," he said.

Ah, the snake. It appeared suddenly from beneath the corner of Harry's pillow. Merlin, was Severus glad he had not seen it before. He was so tense he wasn't sure what his first reaction would have been.

"It's only for this one special time," Harry said, as if he were swearing an oath.

 _I am not getting into a bed with a child and his pet snake!_ Severus thought right before he did just that.

And that is the way Madam Pomfrey and Albus found them the next morning when they came to check on Harry.

Poppy was almost in tears at the sight, though Albus could not tell if she was genuinely moved by the scene or having trouble holding in her laughter.

"Oh my boy," Albus murmured with a smile. "He has you wrapped around his finger."

Severus opened his eyes and thought of a retort, but then he realized it was probably as the headmaster said.


End file.
